Setting a record for the most humans in space, the crews of Endeavour and the International Space Station united in orbit while traveling some 17,500 mph at an altitude of 225 miles.
After seals were tested and the air pressure was equalized, the hatches between the two spacecraft opened at 3:48 p.m. EDT. When the six from the ISS meet the seven from the shuttle, it marked the first time 13 astronauts have been together in space.
Commander Mark Polansky was welcomed aboard with the traditional ship's bell.
"Thirteen is a pretty big number, but it's going be be an outstanding visit for us," Polansky said. "We'll make this short because we've got a lot of work to do."
After a safety orientation for the shuttle crew, the astronauts will be busy preparing for Saturday's first spacewalk.
Before docking, the shuttle was photographed by the station crew. NASA will analyze the photographs taken during the pre-docking fip maneuver to determine whether any of about a dozen pieces of foam that broke loose during launch has damaged the shuttle's heat shields.
Mark L. Polansky commands Endeavour. Douglas G. Hurley serves as pilot. Mission specialists are Christopher J. Cassidy, Thomas H. Marshburn, David A. Wolf and Julie Payette, a Canadian Space Agency astronaut.
The mission will deliver Timothy L. Kopra to the station as a flight engineer and science officer and return Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata to Earth. Hurley, Cassidy, Marshburn and Kopra will be making their first trips to space.
Endeavour set sail on its 23rd mission with the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility and Experiment Logistics Module Exposed Section. The facility will provide a type of "front porch" for experiments in the exposed environment, and a robotic arm that will be attached to the Kibo Pressurized Module and used to position experiments outside the station. The mission will include five spacewalks.
STS-127 is the 29th shuttle mission to the International Space Station.
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